Bullitt Foundation
A Seattle-based environmental foundation that funds efforts to protect and restore the Pacific Northwest and develop sustainable communities.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Bullitt Foundation is a charitable foundation headquartered in Seattle, Washington, established in 1952 by Dorothy S. Bullitt, a Seattle businesswoman, philanthropist, and founder of King Broadcasting Company. Although it originated as a family foundation, its work became increasingly centered on environmental protection and sustainable development in the Pacific Northwest. A significant institutional transition occurred after Dorothy Bullitt's death in 1989, when the foundation inherited 28 percent of the stock of King Broadcasting Company. In 1992, the foundation appointed Denis Hayes, a national organizer of the first Earth Day, as president. Under Hayes's leadership, the organization broadened its board beyond Bullitt family members and moved toward an explicitly environmental mission. Its stated purpose is to safeguard the natural environment by promoting responsible human activity and sustainable communities in the Pacific Northwest, principally through grants to nonprofit organizations. The foundation's geographic and strategic focus was further refined in 2016 around urban ecology in the Emerald Corridor, a metropolitan region extending from Vancouver, British Columbia, through Seattle and other Pacific Northwest communities, to Portland, Oregon. This approach links conservation with the design of cities, buildings, infrastructure, and communities that reduce environmental damage and improve long-term ecological resilience. In addition to grantmaking, the Bullitt Foundation manages the Bullitt Environmental Prize. The prize is intended for an exceptional graduate student from a disadvantaged background who demonstrates the potential to become a future environmental leader and provides annual financial support of $100,000. The foundation has also undertaken direct demonstration projects. Beginning in 2009, it developed the Bullitt Center in Seattle, an office building designed to meet unusually demanding environmental performance standards. Completed in April 2013, the building was certified as a Living Building under the Living Building Challenge in 2015 and became a prominent example of regenerative commercial construction. The Bullitt Foundation is therefore best understood not as a consumer-facing product brand but as an environmental philanthropy institution combining grantmaking, leadership development, advocacy support, and practical demonstration of sustainable urban design. Publicly documented governance information from June 2019 listed a board including Rod Brown, Harriet Bullitt, Maud Daudon, Mark Edlen, Erim Gomez, Frank Greer, Lisa Graumlich, Denis Hayes, Martha Kongsgaard, Bill Ruckelshaus, and Jessie Woolley-Wilson. The foundation's current leadership and financial position are not established by the supplied reference material.
History
The Bullitt Foundation was created in Seattle in 1952 by Dorothy S. Bullitt, a prominent local businesswoman and philanthropist who also founded King Broadcasting Company. Its early identity was associated with the Bullitt family and its philanthropic assets, but the institution later evolved into an environmental foundation with a regional mission. Dorothy Bullitt died in 1989. As part of the estate arrangements, the foundation received 28 percent of King Broadcasting Company's stock, strengthening its financial base and connecting the foundation's resources to the family's business legacy. The supplied reference material does not establish the foundation's current assets, investment structure, or financial performance. A major strategic and governance shift followed in 1992, when Denis Hayes became president. Hayes had been a national organizer of the first Earth Day and brought an established environmental perspective to the organization. During this period, the foundation expanded its board beyond family members and decided to devote its work exclusively to protecting and restoring the environment of the Pacific Northwest. Grantmaking to nonprofit organizations became the principal mechanism for pursuing that mission. The foundation's environmental program has addressed the relationship between ecological health and human settlement. Rather than limiting its work to wilderness conservation, it has emphasized responsible human activities, sustainable communities, and the restoration of natural systems. In 2016, the foundation sharpened this approach by focusing on urban ecology in the Emerald Corridor, the interconnected metropolitan area running from Vancouver, British Columbia, south through the Pacific Northwest to Portland, Oregon. This framework recognizes that environmental outcomes depend substantially on how cities grow, how buildings use resources, and how infrastructure affects regional ecosystems. The Bullitt Foundation has also used institution-building and demonstration projects to complement its grants. It manages the Bullitt Environmental Prize, which provides $100,000 annually to an exceptional graduate student from a disadvantaged background who shows potential to become an environmental leader. The prize extends the foundation's work beyond organizational grants by supporting individual talent and leadership development. In 2009, the foundation began developing the Bullitt Center in Seattle. The project was designed to demonstrate that a commercial office building could operate according to stringent environmental and regenerative-design principles. The building was completed in April 2013 and received Living Building certification in 2015 under the Living Building Challenge. It subsequently became an internationally recognized example of ambitious sustainable building practice and a physical expression of the foundation's interest in urban ecology. Public governance information dated June 2019 identified Rod Brown as board chair and listed Harriet Bullitt, Maud Daudon, Mark Edlen, Erim Gomez, Frank Greer, Lisa Graumlich, Denis Hayes, Martha Kongsgaard, Bill Ruckelshaus, and Jessie Woolley-Wilson as additional board members. The supplied sources do not confirm which of these individuals remain involved today, nor do they identify a current president or executive director. The foundation remains an active environmental philanthropy organization in the available reference material, but current operational details require verification from its official website or contemporary filings.
- 2016
Urban ecology focus refined
[1]The foundation refined its regional strategy around urban ecology in the Emerald Corridor between Vancouver and Portland.
- 2015
Living Building certification achieved
[1]The Bullitt Center was certified as a Living Building under the Living Building Challenge.
- 2013
Bullitt Center completed
[1]The building was completed in April 2013.
- 2009
Bullitt Center development starts
[1]The foundation began developing the Bullitt Center in Seattle as a sustainable office-building demonstration project.
- 1992
Denis Hayes becomes president
[1]Denis Hayes joined as president, followed by broader board representation and an exclusive environmental focus on the Pacific Northwest.
- 1989
King Broadcasting stock enters foundation holdings
[1]After Dorothy Bullitt's death, the foundation inherited 28 percent of King Broadcasting Company's stock.
- 1952
Foundation established
[1]Dorothy S. Bullitt established the Bullitt Foundation in Seattle as a philanthropic foundation.
Products and positioning
Environmental philanthropy focused on ecological protection, sustainable communities, and urban ecology in the Pacific Northwest.
Philanthropic grants
Environmental grants
Grantmaking is the foundation's central operating activity. It supports nonprofit organizations working to protect and restore the natural environment, promote responsible human activities, and build sustainable communities in the Pacific Northwest. The program is especially associated with regional environmental protection and urban ecology rather than commercial products or services.
Environmental leadership prize
Bullitt Environmental Prize
The Bullitt Environmental Prize supports an exceptional graduate student from a disadvantaged background who shows promise as a future environmental leader. The prize is described as providing $100,000 annually, making it a leadership-development instrument as well as a philanthropic award. The supplied material does not specify the prize's launch year, selection cycle, or current administration.
Sustainable office building · 2013
Bullitt Center
The Bullitt Center is a Seattle office building developed by the foundation beginning in 2009. Completed in April 2013, it was designed as a practical demonstration of highly ambitious sustainable and regenerative building principles. It received Living Building certification under the Living Building Challenge in 2015 and became a prominent physical expression of the foundation's urban-ecology and sustainable-community priorities.
Brand decisions
2016
Refinement around Emerald Corridor urban ecologyStrategyBackground
The foundation reviewed its regional environmental priorities as Pacific Northwest cities continued to grow and became central to ecological outcomes.
Action taken
It refined its focus toward urban ecology in the Emerald Corridor extending from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Portland, Oregon.
Aftermath
The revised emphasis connected the foundation's environmental philanthropy more directly with sustainable communities, buildings, infrastructure, and metropolitan development.
2009
Launch of Bullitt Center developmentProduct launchBackground
The foundation sought to complement grantmaking with a visible demonstration of sustainable urban design and construction.
Action taken
It began developing the Bullitt Center in Seattle as a high-performance office building project.
Aftermath
The completed building received Living Building certification in 2015 and became a widely recognized example of regenerative commercial construction.
1992
Shift to exclusive Pacific Northwest environmental fundingStrategyBackground
After Denis Hayes became president, the foundation broadened its board beyond family members and reassessed its institutional purpose.
Action taken
It decided to devote the foundation exclusively to protecting and restoring the environment of the Pacific Northwest through nonprofit grantmaking.
Aftermath
The decision established the environmental and regional identity that has defined the foundation in later public descriptions.
Recent events
- 2016
Foundation refines focus around Emerald Corridor urban ecology[1]
Other
The foundation further concentrated its environmental work on urban ecology across the Emerald Corridor from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Portland, Oregon.
- 2015
Bullitt Center receives Living Building certification[1]
Other
The Bullitt Center achieved Living Building certification under the Living Building Challenge.
- 2013
Bullitt Center completed[1]
Product launch
The Bullitt Center was completed in April as a model for environmentally regenerative commercial construction.
- 2009
Bullitt Center development begins[1]
Product launch · Other
The foundation began developing the Bullitt Center as a high-performance office-building demonstration project in Seattle.
- 1992
Denis Hayes appointed president[1]
Leadership change
The foundation hired Denis Hayes, a national organizer of the first Earth Day, as president and subsequently broadened its board and environmental mandate.
- 1989
Foundation inherits King Broadcasting stock[1]
Other
Following Dorothy Bullitt's death, the foundation inherited 28 percent of the stock of King Broadcasting Company.
- 1952
Bullitt Foundation established[1]
Other
Dorothy S. Bullitt established the foundation as a philanthropic institution in Seattle.
Sources2 sources
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